The Hero in the Stars
by Zero Dark Thirty
Summary: What if the prophecy was misinterpreted? After all, that is what tends to happen to prophecies. Dreadfully inaccurate those things are. So it should have surprised no one when the entire quest spirals out of control, beyond all expectations. Nothing ever comes easy to demigods, after all.
1. Chapter 1

Near the end of the Titan's curse...

Percy slid on his knees to the side of the dying Zoe Nightshade, heedless of the bits of gravel that dug into his knees. "No, no, no!" He muttered. "This can't be happening. I promised!" He screamed in anger at the sky. "Please, if anyone is listening, save Zoe. I will give anything for that to happen."

Silence reigned supreme for a few seconds before there was a quiet pop and Percy jerked backward in surprise. The mangled body of Luke hovered in the air before him, head tilted at a gruesome angle, his body bloody and torn. Percy would have thought that he was dead, except for the shallow rise and fall of his chest. Luke's eyes turned solid gold before his body turned slightly so that he could look Percy in the face. When he spoke, his voice turned into a low rumble. "Anything?" The sound of his voice echoed throughout the area, gathering the attention of Artemis and the other questors.

"Kronos.." Artemis hissed, dashing over. Still exhausted from the earlier fight, she swayed on her feet slightly before steadying herself and pulling her pair of long knives, settling into a combat stance.

Luke, or the thing inside of Luke, cocked an eyebrow at her. "Begone." He said, lazily waving his hand in her general direction. A wall of force blindsided her with the force of a freight train, sending her flying back into a rocky crag of the mountain before falling, limp, to the ground. Annabeth and Thalia ran after her, checking to see if she was alright. Luke turned his attention back to Percy. "Allow me to make myself more presentable." He snapped his fingers, causing his entire body to shake in agony. Bones instantly reformed, muscle and sinew knotting themselves back together as his head, with a sickening crack, straightened to its normal place atop his neck. "Now." Luke purred, slowly stalking forward. "I believe that you said something about doing anything to bring her back?"

Percy slowly backed away, making sure to keep Luke at a distance. "Anything but join you."

"Oh, I don't want you to join me." Luke shook his head, chuckling. "I've changed my mind. I don't expect you to join me." His eyes hardened, becoming like two chips of frozen ice. "I expect you to die." He said coldly.

Percy staggered back a step before recovering his balance. "My life for hers?"

"Indeed. You are a nuisance, and I want you gone. I will even make it painless for you, like the kind relative that I am."

"But... The prophecy..." Percy said uncertainly.

"What about it?" Luke asked. "I can find a way around it. All I need is for you to say yes, and take her place in death. So I ask you, do we have a deal?" Luke asked, folding his arms impatiently.

Percy hesitated for a moment, glancing at Zoe's body on the ground, before checking over his shoulder in time to see Artemis groggily being helped to her feet by Thalia and Annabeth. He licked his lips for a moment, weighing his options, eyes flicking from Zoe to Luke and back again. "Agreed."

"The bargain is struck." Luke hissed in satisfaction, before clapping his hands together.

Percy's body went rigid before he touched his arm with his hand cautiously. "I feel... numb..." he stated before crumpling, his limp body falling to the hard packed dirt, crashing down full length next to Zoe. Mere moments later, Zoe shot to her feet, looking around wildly.

"What is going - Perseus!" She screamed, falling to her knees and placing his head on her lap, searching his body desperately for any sign of a wound.

"Don't bother." Luke said, stepping forward. "He is not injured through battle. He has exchanged his life for yours."

Zoe's eyes locked on him. "You did this." She growled coldly. "You will pay." She laid Percy's head gently on the ground, scooping a knife off of the ground.

"Think very carefully about your next move." Luke growled, ancient armor appearing over his body. "I cannot harm you now, but if you challenge me, I will retaliate." Luke warned, taking a battle stance.

Zoe recoiled a few steps as if struck. "Titan." She whispered.

"Indeed. I recommend you return your attention to your boy toy, he does not have much longer to live. I am doing him a favor by even letting him survive this long." He snorted, before winking out of sight without another word.

She hesitated before dropping her knife and returning to her knees next to Percy. "Why, why, you stupid male," she whispered, looking at him with wide eyes.

"Why," Zoe gently asked again, cradling his head.

"Why?" Perseus whispered back. "Because I promised you I wouldn't let you die. And we stupid males keep our promises," He finished with a slight smirk, grasping her hand. He broke off, looking at her silhouette pictured against the backdrop of a dark sky. Her beautiful onyx eyed and her glossy black hair. "Also..." He hesitated. _"Should I tell her?"_ He debated internally. Finally, he decided he had nothing to lose, so he kept talking. "Also...because I love you."

A gasp was heard from the figure holding him. With the last of his strength, he held up a finger to her lips, quieting her. "I know it could never have worked between us." He said.

"No, that's not what I meant Perseus. I think I have feelings for you too, but I'm ... Not sure about it." He nodded his head, disappointed in spite of himself. "Thank you", Zoe whispered to him.

"Always," he gasped out in reply. His body tensed up as he looked past her into the distance. "So that is what the Grim Reaper looks like." He muttered with dark humor before his face went vacant.

Zoe shouted for Artemis who rushed over.

"Can you help him?" the lieutenant of the hunt asked urgently. Artemis took one look at him and shook her head.

"This wound is beyond my skill to heal, maybe even Apollo's." She stated. "But I can try." She added.

Percy stopped her with a simple "Please, don't. It isn't fixable." Artemis nodded slowly, understanding.

Annabeth, however, did not. "You are a god Lady Artemis, why can't you help him!"

Artemis spun on her heel and hissed angrily, pulling one hand back as if to slap her. "Silence girl. I am not a god of healing, and he made a bargain with a powerful entity. There is nothing I can do." She said reluctantly as she looked away.

Percy's body suddenly relaxed, sagging towards the ground. As his eyes started to close Zoe leaned forward and kissed him on the forehead, whispering to him only three words. "I. Love. You."

Artemis came to Zoe's side looking down at his body with slight disdain. "He was a true bo-man" she said reluctantly, as if the words were bitter in her mouth. "He shall rest in the stars forever." She said, murmuring under her breath and raising her hands. As Percy started to dissolve, the last thing Zoe saw of him was his smile, slowing glimmering as it turned to dust. Looking up, she saw the stars rearrange themselves into the shape of a boy holding a sword in both hands. "May he be forever known as Perseus, the selfless hero." Artemis proclaimed. "May the world honor you."

"Now," she stated, serious again. "I must go to the winter solstice meeting-" she was cut off by a gasp from Thalia.

"The monster army! From the Princess Andromeda!" Instantly understanding the danger, the four rushed to the edge of the cliffs and looked down. Barely twenty feet below them, hundreds of monsters marched up the path to the top of the mountain. Suddenly, there was a buzzing, and then a loud clatter. And the remainder of the quest whipped around, they saw a World War One era Sopwith Camel dive-bombing the army.

"Get away from my daughter!" Mr. Chase shouted as he leaned over the side. The machine guns continued to fire, disintegrating the first few rows of monsters.

"An interesting man," Artemis said grudgingly. "Now let's go, we must hurry to Olympus". As the group got on the chariot of the moon and took off, Mr. Chase banked his plane around in a tight turn, and followed them like an honor guard. When they arrived at Olympus, the entire city was lite up.

"The winter solstice" Annabeth whispered in awe. "It must have started." They climbed to the top. Once there, the throne room doors were thrown open, as a deep voice boomed out at them in welcome.

 **A/N**

 **Hi everyone! This is my first story. Reviews are welcome, it really helps if I know what you guys want. (Assuming anyone bothers to read this) I will try to send the next update out in the next day or two. This should have no more than 5 chapters, this should not be a very long story. I have a set plot line** , **but can alter/extend/draw it out if you guys want. See ya later!**

 **-Texas**

 **Chapter revised as of December 8, 2017**


	2. Chapter 2

**(A/N) I get tired of writing disclaimers so I will put a few in here and there and one at the end. Do I look like Rick Riordan? I most certainly did not write the PJO series when I was 5, therefore, I am not Riordan. Revised and checked as of Febuary 8, 2018.**

Time: An unknown amount of time later...

Place: Ouranos' court in the stars...

A solitary figure stood silently at the edge of the precipice, gazing out over the mortal world below. From his place among the stars, he was capable of seeing everything, so he was following current events. He watched, impassive, as Piper, Leo and Jason struggled to free Hera from her prison. He wanted the demigods to leave Hera imprisoned, yet rooted for the demigods to fulfill their quest. As Porphyrion was driven away, his solemn face dissolved into his trademark crooked smile. Then he leaned forward, watching with bated breath as Hera almost killed Jason.

"Accidentally" of course. The lone watcher snorted. The only reason he believed that was that the gods still needed them, otherwise, the queen of the gods couldn't care less about heroes. As he watched, he decided that the demigods would be fine and walked away. He made his way to the arena, situated in the middle of the palace of the stars. He sat, gazing upon the battle that was winding down.

As both competitors left the ring, he gazed upon the latest victor. "My name is Orion!" the newly entered contestant roared out. "Are there any that dare face me, the greatest hunter that ever lived?"

At the name, the silent watcher's head snapped up, and sea-green eyes filled with fire gazed down at Orion. He immediately vaulted into the ring and strode forward to face Orion.

Orion laughed at him. "Seriously? _This_ is the best opponent that dares to spar with me? A young _boy_?"

The figure slowly pulled back his hood while smirking at him. "Wow. I guess the hunters rubbed off on you huh?"

"Who are you?" the famous hunter demanded, placing his bow into it's normal resting place on his back. "I told you my name, surely you have the courtesy to inform your opponent of whom he will be facing?"

"Courtesy", the figure mused, scoffing. "You deserve no courtesy or respect for what you attempted with the Hunters of Artemis. But if you must know, my name is Percy, Percy Jackson."

Percy POV

As he pulled out Riptide and got in a combat stance, Percy said one last thing. "And I intend to make you fade for what you tried."

Orion, snorted, confident in his own abilities. "Then let us begin," He shouted as he shot forward, intent on ending the fight as soon as possible.

Percy's eyes widened, he hadn't expected Orion to be so fast. He ducked and spun away, lashing out as he did so, catching Orien on the outside of his left arm, making a shallow cut that started to bleed, red liquid trickling down his arm.

Orien spun around, taking a quick look at his arm to assess the damage. "Interesting... Perhaps I underestimated you.." Orion charged again. Percy's eyes narrowed, before going into a baseball slide, underneath Orien before whirling around, going into an overhead cut. There was a clang as his opponents sword blocked it. He looked up into the smirking face of Orion.

"You are skilled boy, I'll give you that... But not nearly good enough!" He roared as he leapt forward and Percy was forced back, all his concecntration focused on keeping himself alive. Orion was so fast that to Percy, his sword looked like a silver blur. Percy retreated, barely able to block the strikes. Suddenly, the whirlwind that was Orion disengaged and jumped back, unstringing his bow. "You did well to hold out as long as you did. But this ends now!" He shouted as he began to fire.

Percy did his best to block and dodge, but soon arrows found their way through his defense. He soon took hits to his left leg and right shoulder, severely hampering his movement and sword arm. As Percy crumpled into a heap, wincing in pain with blood streaming from his wounds, he looked up as Orion leaped forward, intent on finishing the battle. Percy, wincing in pain, managed to switch Riptide to his left hand and stabs forward, Orion's own momentum carrying him onto the length of celestial bronze.

He staggered back, in disbelief that he took such a grievous wound. However, he simply looks down and laughs as he pulls the sword out of him, the wound closing up as the blade exited him. "Did you really forget? I am a giant and that means.." He trailed off as Percy connected the dots and his eyes widened. "I see it is dawning on you. You have no god with you, so I cannot die. On the other hand, you can. Originally I was just going to humiliate you, now... He trails off as he strides forward and picked up Percy, carrying him to the center of the island.

Once there, Percy's eyes widened, recognizing the stench of evil that arose from the pit. "I know that you recognize it, mortal. Yes this is an entrance to Tartarus, put here for Lord Ouranos to throw troublemakers into." He laughs again, a deep, grinding laugh. "Any last words?" He asked. Percy raises his head and spat in his face . "If that is how you want it..." Orion said as he releases Percy, his rasping laughter echoing across the stars. The only thing Percy can feel as he plummets downward is that it seems like he is falling... falling forever.


	3. Chapter 3 The mark of Pluto

A/N Rick Riordan owns all things PJO. I put this here because the majority of this chapter is from MOA with some alterations. Shout out to for notifying me of the uploading problem.

Even with sunlight streaming in from above, Frank's news made the cavern seem dark again.

"So the mortal side is in Epirus," she said. "At least thats somewhere we can reach."

Nico grimaced. "But the other side is the problem. Tartarus."

The word seemed to echo through the chamber. The pit behind them exhaled a cold blast of air. Thats when hazel knew with certainty. The chasm did go straight to the Underworld.

Frank must have felt it too. He guided her a little farther from the edge. Her arms and legs trailed spider silk like a bridal train. She wished she had her dagger to cut that junk off. She almost asked Frank to do the honors, but before she could, he said "Bacchus mentioned something about my voyage being harder than I expected. Not sure why"

The chamber groaned. The Athena Parthenos tilted to one side. Its head caught on one of Arachnes support cables, but the marble foundation under the pedestal was crumbling.

Nausea swelled in hazel chest. If the statue fell into the chasm, all her work would be for nothing. Their quest would fail.

"Secure it!" Hazel cried.

Her friends understood immediately.

"Nico"! Leo cried." Get me to the helm, quick! The coach is up there alone." Nico grabbed his arm and shadow traveled the two of them toward the ship.

Jason wrapped his arm around Piper. He turned to Zoe." Back for you guys in a sec." He summoned the wind and shot into the air.

"This floor wont last!"Annabeth warned. "The rest of us should get to the ladder."

Plumes of dust and cobwebs blasted from holes in the floor. The spiders silk support cables trembled like massive guitar strings, Frank gripped Hazel's hand tighter. "All will be fine, he muttered."

Looking up, she saw grappling lines shoot from the Argo II and wrap around the statue. One lassoed Athena neck like a noose. Leo shouted orders from the helm as Jason and Frank flew frantically from line to line, trying to secure them.

Zoe had just reached the ladder when a sharp pain shot up Hazel's bad leg. She gasped and stumbled.

"What is it?" Frank asked.

She tried to stagger toward the ladder. Why was she moving backward instead? Her legs swept out from under her and she fell on her face.

Her ankle! Zoe shouted from the ladder. "Cut it! Cut it!"

Hazel's mind was woolly from the pain. Cut her ankle?

Apparently Frank didnt realize what Zoe meant either. Then something yanked Hazel backward and dragged her toward the pit. Frank lunged. He grabbed her arm, but the momentum carried him along as well.

"Help them!" Annabeth yelled.

Hazel glimpsed Nico hobbling in their direction, Zoe was trying to disentangle her hunting knives from the rope ladder. Their other friends were still focused on the statue, and Annabeth's cry was lost in the general shouting and the rumbling of the cavern.

Hazel sobbed as she hit the edge of the pit. Her legs went over the side. Too late, she realized what was happening: she was tangled in the spider silk. She should have cut it away immediately. She had thought it was just loose line, but with the entire floor covered in cobwebs, she hadntnoticed that one of the strands was wrapped around her foot and the other end went straight into the pit. It was attached to something heavy down in the darkness, something that was pulling her in.

Frank muttered, light dawning in his eyes. "My sword"

But he couldn't reach his sword without letting go of Hazel's arm, and Hazel's strength was gone. She slipped over the edge. Frank fell with her.

Her body slammed into something. She must have blacked out briefly from the pain. When she could see again, she realized that shed fallen partway into the pit and was dangling over the void. Frank had managed to grab a ledge about fifteen feet below the top of the chasm. He was holding on with one hand, gripping Hazel's wrist with the other, but the pull on her leg was much too strong.

"No escape," said a voice in the darkness below. "I go to Tartarus, and you will come too."

Hazel wasnt sure if she actually heard Arachne's voice or if it was just in her mind.

The pit shook. Frank was the only thing keeping her from falling. He was barely holding on to a ledge the size of a bookshelf.

Nico leaned over the edge of the chasm, thrusting out his hand, but he was much too far away to help. Annabeth was yelling for the others, but even if they heard her over all the chaos, theyd never make it in time.

Hazel's leg felt like it was pulling free of her body. Pain washed everything in red. The force of the Underworld tugged at her like dark gravity. She didn't have the strength to fight. She knew she was too far down to be saved.

"Frank, let me go," she croaked. "You can't pull me up."

His face was white with effort. She could see in his eyes that he knew it was hopeless.

Never, he said. He looked up at Nico, fifteen feet above. The other side, Nico! We'll ll see you there. Understand?

Nicos eyes widened. "But..."

Lead them there! Frank shouted.

" Promise me! You will"

Below them, the voice laughed in the darkness. Sacrifices. Beautiful sacrifices to wake the goddess.

Frank tightened his grip on Hazel's wrist. His face was gaunt, scraped and bloody, his hair dusted with cobwebs, but when he locked eyes with her, she thought he had never looked more handsome.

"We Are staying together," he promised. "You are not getting away from me. Never again."

Only then did she understand what would happen. A one-way trip. A very hard fall.

"As long as we are together", she said.

She heard Nico and Annabeth still screaming for help. She saw the sunlight far, far above maybe the last sunlight she would ever see.

Then Frank let go of his tiny ledge, and together, holding hands, he and Hazel fell into the endless darkness


	4. Chapter 4 into Tartarus

Location:pit to Tartarus, underneath Rome.

Hazel

Nine days.

As she fell, Hazel thought back to a musty old classics course. Nine. She was reasonably sure that a philosopher had said it would take nine days to fall to the bottom of tartarus. What was his name? Hesiod... No. That's not it. Maybe Homer... That's not it either. Oh well. She couldn't remember his name at the moment. She had lost track of how long she and Frank had been falling. Hours? Days? It felt like an eternity. The two had been holding hands since the moment they had started falling. Frank had already tried to transform multiple times, but was unable to, as (understandably) it is hard to concentrate when you are wounded, sore, tired, and falling into hell with your girlfriend. Not exactly an ideal scenario right?

Wind whistled through Hazel's ears as the pair continued to plummet. The air got hotter and moister, as if they were falling into the mouth of a massive dragon. Her recently broken ankle throbbed, though she couldn't tell if it was still wrapped in spiderwebs. That cursed Arachne. Despite being trapped in her own webbing, despite being smashed by a baby blue Italian sports car and plunged into Tartarus the spider lady got her revenge and the last laugh in the end. Somehow her ankle had gotten twisted and tangled in spider web as she cut Annabeth free. It had dragged her over the edge of the pit, bringing Frank in tow, down, down to Tartarus. She grimaced to herself. Their fall actually had a lot in comes with her favorite story, Lord of the Rings, where Gandolf sends the balrog from the mines of Moria off the bridge but the balrog dragged Gandolf with him off the bridge of Khazed-Dum. It was ironic, really. That her life would so well parallel a scene she enjoyed so much. The Fates must really enjoy screwing her life. Suddenly, something about their surroundings changed. The darkness slowly turned into a grey-red hue. She realized she could see the color of Frank's hair as she hugged him. The whistling in her ears turned into a roar. The air became intolerably hot, permeated with a smell as of brimstone and rotten eggs. Suddenly the chute they had been falling through opened into a vast cavern that stretched as far as the eye could see. Maybe half a mile below them, Hazel could see the bottom. For a moment she was too stunned too think properly. The entire island of Manhattan could have fit in here easily. The extent was mind-boggling. Red clouds hung in the air, like puffs of vaporized blood. The landscape- what she could see of it- looked like a scene from her imagination of Dante's inferno. Their were rocky black plains, interspersed with jagged mountains and fiery chasms. To Hazel's left, the ground sloped away into a series of cliffs, like steps made for a giant descending into the eternal abyss. That was when she looked up. What was above was even worse. Red and black stalagmites hung from the curling, with-was that blood? Dripping from them. The entire ceiling was covered with a deep gray-black haze, which only served to make everything more gloomy. Then there were the bat-like creature that flew around. One glanced at her, and she caught the fleet glimpse of shining, sharp as a needle teeth adorning the creatures mouth. All this she caught in a glance. Then she saw the real problem. Chunks of asphalt, large and small, were pelting down after and around them. It really was a miracle they hadn't- Thud! An impact rang out as one medium chunk slammed into them, sending them downward faster than they were before. They only had one chance.

"Frank!" She screamed. "Frank! Wake up! Look around! Transform" She got Frank's attention, as he looked around and grasped the situation. Closing his eyes. He poured all his concentration and emotions into it, with the screams of his desperate girlfriend ringing in his ears.

Slowly, his form began to change. He turned into a giant golden eagle and grasped Hazel, slowing their descent. It went well until they felt another collision that made their teeth rattle, somehow Hazel knew it was a car. This sent them spiraling into a crash landing in a painful heap. They were sperated instantly as their impact was so great that she actually bounce several feet back into the air before settling back to earth agin. As her eyes closed and she faded into unconsciousness, her last coherent thoughts were"we made it".

(A/N) I am so, so sorry guys. I has spent 2 and a half hours this morning making this longer, to around 2000 words to be exact. Then my computer crashed and I do not feel like writing it all again right now. So I will post this and hopefully have the next part up today or tomorrow. Really guys? 7 faves, 19 follows and 4 reviews in less Nathan a day after I started this is truly amazing. Y'all give me the encouragement to keep on writing in my free time. One last thing. I know this is a long A/N but just wanted to let you know that this story will be more than five chapters, so don't worry. If any of you have recommendations or critiques or questions, ask and I shall answer. See Ya later

-Texas


	5. Chapter 5 Back to the surface

Onboard the Argo...

Leo

Leo thought it has been such a good idea. Enchanting every wall on the Argo to broadcast real time scenes from camp Jupiter and camp half blood. Sing-a-Longs at the campfire, war games in the field of Mars, dinner at the main pavilion, the view over the little Tiber. Now... All they seemed to do was make people homesick. Leo looked down at his plate of eggs and bacon which mysteriously had #TeamLeoForTheWin written on it in hot sauce. He who shed he could turn off the walls.

Now that we are all here..." Jason said clearing his throat. "Leo, would you do the honors?"

"Sure" Leo leaned forward in his seat and place one of his latest toys on the table, one that projected a 3-D map of Italy floating above the table. "As you can see, what we are attempting is to cross the mountains, however, we keep getting turned back by the mountain Giants. We need another way to get to Greece. Does anyone see a different route?"

Zoe was the first to respond. " well, it is obvious we can't go back south. Not only would that make us go back to Rome..." At this the whole table shuddered. They had bad experiences in Rome. "We would have to bypass it, then we still would have to go hundred of miles south, then hundreds of miles north up the other coast, and then go east. We simply don't have the time. Plus... You know..." She trailed off glancing awkwardly at Nico. Yesterday he had informed them that time ran differently in Tartarus. For every day on the surface was in between two and three days in the Pit. Every day decreased the chances of Frank and Hazek surviving.

Piper and Annabeth nervously glanced at each other, and then at Zoe, a worried expression on their faces. Leo noticed this and decided to interject.

"Hey beauty queen, owl head. What's wrong? You have the Supreme McShizzle on your side. There's nothing to be worried about." This provoked a nervous laugh from Piper and a glare from Annabeth. Then the two locked eyes, and an understanding flashed between them. Don't tell the others. Then they remembered what made them this way in the first place...

-¥- Flashback-¥-

Piper was preparing to but her personal luggage on the Argo was there was a flash of silver from nearby. The whole crew spun around, and then bowed as they realized who was there.

"Lady Artemis" Piper said respectfully.

Said goddess nodded her acknowledged the recognition. She pointed at first Piper, then Annabeth, making a beckoning motion with her hand, then spun on her heel and walked away. The two pointed out followed her around the nearest cabin before she began to talk. "I need the two of you to do me a favor."

"Of course Lady Artemis" Annabeth responded politely.

"I Need you to keep an eye on Zoe for me. Ever since... We shall call it an event... Happened, I have noticed some changes in her. She has gotten more moody, and spends hours just staring off into space. She has gotten more reckless in battle, first in last out. It's almost as if she wants to die. I can't let that happen. She has been my friend and companion for over 2000 years. Now it is my turn to return the favor to her." Annabeth nodded, the gears in her head clearly working behind her stormy gray eyes.

"Lady Artemis, could you tell us what event this was?" She asked, suspicion clearly written on her face.

Artemis nodded. "I see you have connected the dots Annabeth. Yes, ever since that night, she has never been the same."

"But how?" Annabeth exclaimed. "She is a huntress, your lieutenant even."

Artemis nodded, clearly deap in thought. "Yes. But he was also the first male she ever had as a friend, and he saved her life multiple times on that quest. I know not what her feelings are towards him." She looked over at Piper, who looked confused.

"What are you two talking about Annabeth?"

"Explain it to her" Artemis demanded. "And... Good luck young maidens" she said as she flashed away"

-¥- End flashback-¥-

The two were broken out of their reverie by a loud thumping sound on deck. Jason turned to look at Nico. "Coach Hedge is still watching MMA and cage matches in his room right?"

"Right..

"Oh no.." Jason said as he, Nico, and Leo hurtled out of their chairs and raced for the stairs.

A/N Hi guys! Managed to retype this in in a couple of hours. Tell me, would you like me to do some of the next chapter with the two monkey dwarf thief things? I know I enjoyed that chapter. Otherwise most of the next chapter will be focused on Frank/Hazel with a couple thoughts from Zoe.

See Ya!

-Texas


	6. Chapter 6 Tourists!

Chapter 6 Tourists!

Location:Tartarus

Hazel

Hazel was the first to come round. She couldn't even see Frank. She could barely see what was around her. She was sure she had blood in her eyes. The pain was blinding. She couldn't even feel her ankle anymore, which maybe was a good thing. Maybe the ambrosia from earlier was finally mending the bone. She coughed up gravel that had gotten into her lungs, but stopped short, so it sounded like she'd chocked. There was a pain near her lungs that was excruciating.

Her plan hadn't worked whatsoever. Now, she could only hope that Frank wasn't in the same situation.

Come on, Hazel, she told herself. Toughen up.

She grabbed at something behind her, and it felt like a car door. Very slowly, Hazel pulled herself up to her good foot. Her splint had fallen apart during her crash landing, so she propped her foot up behind her. As she tried to push herself up with her hands she winced in pain. The ground was covered with sharp shards of some kind of volcanic glass.

She twisted to look at what was inside the crushed car, but she screamed and grabbed onto her side. It hurt so much.

Hazel felt something warm and sticky where her fingers were and something really hard too. She brought them up to her face. They were a deep red. She was bleeding severely.

She glanced down at her side. A huge gash started at her chest and ended at her hip, and blood was just oozing out of it. She squinted in the dim light to see what was hard, and she saw something vaguely white but coated in blood sticking out of her skin a little bit.

It was one of her ribs. She'd fractured her rib, and it had popped out of place. It was protruding slightly from her skin.

Hazel couldn't help it. She threw up next to the car. The wound was nasty and terrible, one of the worst she ever had. So now, not only had she broke her ankle, but her ribs were bruised, and one of them was broken.

"Okay Hazel" she hissed to herself. "What do I do for my rib?" She could not remember any of the first aid and battlefield medicine classes she had taken. She wanted to collapse and wait for help, but she didn't even know where Frank was.

What if he was dead?

"No!" She would not think about that till she saw it.

She looked into the car for anything to salvage. All she could find were the keys and a Hello Kitty booster seat. She looked at the keys. Maybe they could be used as a knife? Oh what was she thinking. These were practically useless as weapons. Not exactly the best of supplies.

Hazel's head was fuzzy she suddenly felt the urge to fall asleep, right there on the floor of Tartarus. The she heard it.

"Where are you you wretched daughter of Pluto!" Screeched a voice like a thousand insects buzzing. Hazel's heart stopped. Apparently Arachne has survived the fall as well. She was done for. How could she fight her off? Stab her with the keys? She snorted mentally. Yeah, that would be helpful. Hazel knew she would not trick her again.

Frank stumbled over the top of the hill next to her, frantic. "Hazel! Come on! We have to get out of here!"

"You're too late demigods! You two will make a lovely snack" Arachne cackled as she came closer. "I think I will start with the daughter of Pluto" she yelled as she lunged.

Frank let out a roar."No!" He shouted as he jumped over Hazel and protected her with his body.

"Fine. If you are so anxious to get eaten, I will eat you first." Arachne howled with glee as she lunged- only for the two demigods to see the bronze point of a sword pokeing through her. She wailed as she turned into a gigantic cloud of yellow dust and string.

When the golden glitter cleared, she and Frank were looking into the eyes of a tall cloaked figure. He slowly pulled back the cowl of the hood, and the couple were looking into a face rimmed by raven black hair with sea-green eyes and a crooked smirk.

"Ah you must be the new guide group! Did you bring your scrapbooks?"

All he got in return was a pair of blank looks.

"Oh come on! You guys are tourists right? Ah, never mind" He reached out a hand and pulled the two to their feet. "My name is Percy Jackson, and could you tell me what two-half bloods are doing here?"

-¥- the dreaded line break-¥-

Zoe

As I returned to my cabin, my thoughts turned, as always, to Percy Jackson. That insufferable yet at the same time gallant young man. I sighed and propped my chin in my hand. Percy Jackson. What was it with him and his ability to get under my skin? Yet he still saved me multiple times, and then gave his life so that I could live. An old phrase floated into my head. "There is no greater love than this, that a man lay down his life for a friend." That described Percy perfectly. He would do absolutely anything to save a friend of his, including giving his own life. I know I shouldn't be thinking things like this, being a hunter and all. But after he saved me from my father I could no longer deny that I was falling for him. A thought had crossed my mind recently, with all these supposed-to-be dead people running around, could it be possible that Percy could come back to? Zoe shook her head, discarding the thought. Only those in Tartarus were coming back, and Percy was up in Lord Ouranus' court in the stars. A vice broke me out of my thoughts as there was a knock on the door. "Zoe?" A voice called.

A/N

Hi guys! I had planned to release this chapter last night, but ended up watching the seventh Star Wars movie. I personally thought it was a re-hash of the theme from the first trilogy. Calling it now, the next one will feature Rey training with Luke on an isolated planet and coming back when someone close to her is in danger.(probably fin) likely there will also be an ice planet. Probably will be revealed to be somewhere on the sky walker-solo family tree. But enough about this. Finally getting Zoe involved a bit. Percy has also rejoined the story. Also I am close to getting not one, but TWO great betas onboard. How awesome is that? See Ya later!

-Texas


	7. Chapter 7A little heart-to-heart on love

A/N before I begin, I would like you guys to answer this. Do y'all want short chapters and faster updates? Or longer chapters and slower updates? You will have to make a sacrifice one way or another. Oh well, now on with the show. End of A/N

So you wish to hear more of the escapades of Percy Jackson and the crew of the mighty Argo? Then gather around and grab a seat, for your desire has been granted.

Last time : As I returned to my cabin, my thoughts turned, as always, to Percy Jackson. That insufferable yet at the same time gallant young man. I sighed and propped my chin in my hand. Percy Jackson. What was it with him and his ability to get under my skin? Yet he still saved me multiple times, and then gave his life so that I could live. An old phrase floated into my head. "There is no greater love than this, that a man lay down his life for a friend." That described Percy perfectly. He would do absolutely anything to save a friend of his, including giving his own life. I know I shouldn't be thinking things like this, being a hunter and all. But after he saved me from my father I could no longer deny that I was falling for him. A thought had crossed my mind recently, with all these supposed-to-be dead people running around, could it be possible that Percy could come back to? Zoe shook her head, discarding the thought. Only those in Tartarus were coming back, and Percy was up in Lord Ouranus' court in the stars. A voice broke me out of my thoughts as there was a knock on the door. "Zoe?" A voice called.

Piper

"Zoe?" I called. "You awake?" As I asked I couldn't help but think over the information Annabeth had given me earlier.

-¥-flashback-¥-

I say back stunned. "So let me get this straight. You went on a quest with Zoe and your sorta-kinda-maybe boyfriend Percy Jackson and she got a crush on him? Her, the leader of Artemis' merry band of man haters?"

"That sounds about right."

"And he gave his life for her? Wow. He must have had a crush on her too. You don't just throw your life away for someone you just met who hates you.

Annabeth nodded miserablely. "It gets worse. I heard her tell him she loved him."

I nodded. "That makes sense. If she considers life not worth living, that would explain how reckless she is. Tell you what. I'll go talk to her, try to convince her to be a little more careful. That way you can stay here and avoid talking about an awkward subject."

"Thanks Piper. Your a lifesaver."

I nodded smugly. "Yep. I know"

She threw a pillow at me. "Get out!" She exclaimed in a mock angry voice, though I could tell she was trying to hold back laughter.

"Alright, alright" i put my hands up in surrender as I backed out the door.

-¥- end flashback -¥-

"Come in!" A voice called from within. I entered and shut the door behind me. I studied the scene. Zoe was lying on her back on the bed, hands behind her head as she stared at the ceiling. As I entered though, she sat up and scooted to one side, patting a spot on bed for me to sit. "Piper. What is it?"

I took took a deep breath. This was going to be a long, stressful conversation. How to start this tactically. "Ummm... Zoe. Have you ever had a crush?" This got a bit of a reaction. She stiffened a little and looked at me from the corner of her eyes. "No... She said a little hesitantly. "You do realize you are asking the leutinant of the hunters of Artemis. You know, the ones that swear off men."

"Well.. Yes. I do realize that. Let me try a different tack. What do you think you have been doing the past couple years? Are you trying to kill yourself?" Her silence was enough of an answer. "Look, I know that you are upset that the first man you fell in love with died."

She straighted. "I don't know what your talking about." However she refused to meet my eyes.

I snorted. "Sure you don't. You forget, I am a daughter of Aphrodite. I can sense both attractions and true love. Also, you are a terrible liar. Look, I know your upset. But do you realize what you are doing? You worried Lady Artemis so badly she pulled us aside and told us to watch over you. What would Percy think if he saw you trying to kill yourself to be with him? If you need to, look at it another way. We are on a deadline on a mission to save the world. I can't do my job and babysit at the same time. You can hide in here and feel sorry for yourself and kill yourself first chance you get-saddening the entire hunt and Artemis. Or you can come and fight. But if you stand up and walk out that door, you are committed. You will see it through to the end. You will do whatever is necessary. The decision is yours." And with that, I get up, and leave the room.

Zoe POV

In my head the discussion rages. But when you put it the way Piper did, it's really no contest. I can keep feeling sorry for myself and missing the boy I loved. Or I can move on and do my best to help others. The decision takes less than a second. I shoot off the bed and race through the doorway. I catch up to Piper on the way to the dining room and fall into step beside her. She nods at me and I nod back. Gaea watch out. Here we come.

A/N hope that satisfies you guys for today. That's the equivalent of four chapters across various story's in less than a day. Please tell me how I did on the One Shots. Was it horrible? Great? Should I make more? I can't know what y'all want if you don't tell me. See Ya later!

-Texas


	8. Chapter 8 A talk in Tartarus

A/N as I said in the update for my other story, I changed my name after I got some rather nasty PM's about my name being too similar to some others. You out there (you know who you are) I just came up with that name. I didn't steal it and I resent the implication. Anyway, now that's out of the way, on with the story!

Last time...

When the golden glitter cleared, she and Frank were looking into the eyes of a tall cloaked figure. He slowly pulled back the cowl of the hood, and the couple were looking into a face rimmed by raven black hair with sea-green eyes and a crooked smirk.

"Ah you must be the new guide group! Did you bring your scrapbooks?"

All he got in return was a pair of blank looks.

"Oh come on! You guys are tourists right? Ah, never mind" He reached out a hand and pulled the two to their feet. "My name is Percy Jackson, and could you tell me what two-half bloods are doing here?"

Now...

Hazel POV

I was dumbfounded. Not only was there another demigod down here, but we were both still alive, but to top it off our savior is Percy Jackson. "I thought... Zoe said you were in the stars..."

He switches his gaze to me. "Zoe talks about me?"

"Yes. She said you were the first man she called friend. Which, considering who she is, is quite the accomplishment."

He nodded in response, obviously deep in thought.

"Would you mind telling us what you did before Zoe met you and how you are here?"

"No problem." Was the response. "I was a demigod at camp half-blood. Before I met Zoe, I went on two quests, one to recover Zeus' master bolt and the other to recover the Golden Fleece. As to why I'm here, I was defeated and cast into Tartarus."

Hazel frowned in confusion. "What do you mean you were defeated? I thought you were the strongest hero at CHB?"

"I answered Orion's challenge in the arena, to try to get revenge for the experiences Lady Artemis and her hunters suffered at his hands. However, I didn't know he was a giant, and I could not defeat him alone. He eventually defeated me and cast me into the pit. How did you get here?"

I gave him the 10-second version. "Athena Parthanos. Rome. Arachne pulled me in, and Frank came with me."

Frank was spluttering. "Wait a minute... Your a son of Neptune right? So that makes you what, my something times a thousand uncle?"

"Son of Posiedon, not Neptune. And for obvious reasons, I try not to think of relations from the godly side. If I did, I'd be medusa's sister, and the brother to an extremely foul mouthed horse," he added smiling at Hazel while shuddering.

"Wait.. You know Arion? How is he?" Hazel asked, perking up.

"I know of him. I could watch what was happening on earth, so I watched over your quests. By the way, Frank, your transforming is awesome. Anyway, you two must have been out for a while. I had enough time to run into Bob and tag along."

"Bob?"

"Yeah, he is a Titan who lost his memory in the river Lethe and now works for Hades. Nico IMed him and called in some favors with his dad, who sent Bob to try and find you. I ran into him and little Bob and tagged along. Bob!" He shouted off to one side. Out of the darkness an older man with glowing silver hair and dressed in a janitors outfit carrying a broom over one shoulder.

"Yes?"

"Here are the ones you were looking for. Frank, Hazel, this is Bob and Little Bob. Bob and Little Bob, Frank and Hazel."

"Ummm... Why do you carry a broom and who is Little Bob?" Frank asked, peering around.

"Why do you want to know?"

"Just curiosity I guess."

Percy groaned. "Bob, don't give him a hard time. And Frank, I am extremely disappointed in you."

"What! Why? What did I do wrong?"

"You had a chance to make an awesome pun!"

Frank looked at him blankly.

"You should totally have said frankly! Don't you get it?" Judging by the exspression on Franks face, he didn't.

"Never mind..." Percy grumbled. "Anyway, he carryies a broom because he is a janitor. As for Little Bob, he is the sabor-toothed kitten that Bob here has named Small Bob." As if on cue a cute little kitten wandered out from behind Bob, yawning and stretching its back before flashing like an X-Ray and turning into a skeleton cat. Frank and Hazel both stumbled back in surprise. "Oh yeah, forgot to mention he could do that. Can also change his size to a certain extent."

"I have a question," Hazel asked. Why did you ask about tourists when you met us?

"That? Oh, that was an inside joke I have going with Nyx and a couple other creatures of the pit. Piece of advice, If you are in tight spot, stall by pretending you are tourist seeing the beautiful sights of Tartarus. Works every time." He clapped his hands together loudly, causing the couple to jump. "Alright then. We'd better get moving. The death of a monster as powerful as Arachne, in Tartarus no less, will attract some unwanted attention. That, and we need to get to two of you to the Phlegathon. The very air down here is poisonous. I expect the pair of you to collapse in three... Two... One..." As he hit zero both demigods hunched over in pain.

"On top of that, Hazel at least has some broken ribs and some nasty gashes. We need to get the two of you there ASAP. Bob, can you take Frank?"

The Titan nodded and strode forward, slinging Frank over his shoulder. Percy did the same with Hazel. "Let's go."


	9. Chapter 9 Into the House of Hades

**A/N All right. I admit it. I really am Rick Riordan. You guys figured it out. Posting FREE STORYS! Online! Instead of publishing them and depositing mountains of money in the bank! Shout out to OverLordRevan and Omega Alpha Hydra. The two of them have constantly been reviewing and supporting me. Also, gonna start putting A/Ns in bold. Now, on to Greece**!

Location: Epirus

After Rome Frank stopped getting worried about getting noticed. He figure if they could dive from the sky in an ancient warship with catapults blazing into the coliseum and not get detected, Frank figured they could get away with anything. Nico led the way up the hill till the got to the entrance and then stopped. He turned to face them "From here, it gets tough."

"Sweet!" Leo exclaimed. "Cause I've totally been pulling my punches so far." His body burst into flames. "I'm like the human torch! But better! I'm the... Wait for it... Supreme McShizzle!"

Jason frowned. "All right, who let Leo watch the fantastic four?"

Annabeth raised her hand. "Guilty as charged."

Nico glared at them. "We'll see how long you keep laughing. Remember, this is where people can to talk with their dead ancestors. In the tunnels, you may see things you cannont explain or voices trying to lead you astray. Jason, have the barley cakes?"

"Ive got them." Zoe reached into her pocket, and pulled them out.

"Everyone make sure to eat your cracker of death!" Leo joked, before bitting down on his and gagging. It reminded him of a cookie made with salt and sawdust instead of sugar.

"Yum" Piper exclaimed. Even the daughter of Aphrodite could not avoid making

a face. The taste was just that bad.

"Okay." Nico choked his down after about thirty seconds, sounding like a cat with a hairball. "That should protect us from the poison."

"Operative word being should." Leo chimed in helpfully. "By the way, when did you mention there was poison? I love poison."

"Soon enough." Nico promised. "Stay alert and stay together, and maybe we can avoid getting lost or going insane." And on that happy note, Nico led them underground.

The tunnel spiraled down gently, the ceiling supported by white stone arches that reminded Piper of the bones of a whales rib cage. The quest turned a corner and found a construct made of a variety of material blocking the way. Annabeth tried to shove it, and it didn't budge.

"Leo? Got anything on this?" The supreme commander of the Argo stepped forward and placed his hand on it. "It feels like this is here to block the way. If something manages to move this with blunt force, arrows shoot from the ceiling and the floor falls out from under you. But from what I can tell... "He trailed off, eyebrows furrowed. "Ah Ha! Found it. Zoe if you would be so kind to shoot that divet there? Zoe?" He repeated as the target of his words was lost in thought.

"What? Oh! Sure. No problem. She unstrung her bow and let an arrow fly, cleanly hitting the mark and causing the floor under the structure to collapse and sink into the floor. She then returned to her inner musing.

As the dust from the movement settled their way became clear. A set of stairs curved into the earth, the vaulted ceiling held up by repeating arches, all composed of the same shiny black stone. The descending arches made Nico dizzy, as if he was looking into an endlessly reflecting mirror. Painted on the walls were crude pictures of cattle marching downwards.

"I really don't like cows." Piper muttered.

"Agreed" Annabeth said.

"They are just cattle of Hades!" Nico protested. "It's just a symbol of-"

"Look!" Leo exclaimed, trying to distract everyone. On the first step of the stairwell, a golden chalice gleamed. Leo was pretty sure it hadn't been there a moment before. The cup was full to the brim with a dark orange green mixture. "Hooray!" Leo said, trying to keep the mood light. "I suppose that's the poison. I wonder what it tastes like? I hope a slurpee with cheese on top... Or a sandwich made with cream cheese. That would be fine too." Everyone stared at him. "What? Don't judge me until you've had it."

Nico scooped up the chalice. "We are now at the ancient entrance of the Necromanteion. Odysseus, and dozens of other heroes, came here, seeking advice from the dead."

"Did the dead tell them to leave immediatly?" Leo asked.

"I would be fine with that." Piper admitted.

Nico drank from the chalice and offered it to Jason. "You asked me about trust, and taking a risk? Here you go son of Jupiter. How much do you trust me?"

No one understood what he meant. But Jason took the cup and drank from it with out hesitation.

They passed it around, each taking a sip of the poison when it was their turn. As he waited his turn, Leo tried to stop his stomach from churning and his legs from wobbling. He wondered what his babysitter would say if she saw him now. _Stupid boy!_ She would probably scold. _If all your friends were drinking poison, would you do it too?_

Leo went last, the memory of auntie Tia's voice till echoing in his head. The taste reminded him of spoiled apple juice. As he finished drinking the chalice dissolved into smoke.

Nico nodded, apparently satisfied. "Congratulations. Assuming the poison doesn't kill us, we should be able to pass the first level."

"Just the first level?" Piper squeaked.

Nico turned to the group and beckoned to the stairs. "After you."

In no time, Leo felt lost. The stairs would split into three ways. Annabeth would choose one. Then the tunnel would split again. They wound their way through interconnected tunnels and forgotten catacombs with long forgotten occupants that all looked the same. Walls carved with dusty and musty niches that might once have held bodies. The arches over the doors were painted with black cows, white poplar trees, and whiskered screech owls.

"I thought the owl was Minerva's... I mean, Athena's symbol?" Jason asked.

"The screech owl is a sacred animal of Hades. Nico answered. "It's cry is considered a bad omen."

"This way." Annabeth pointed at a entrance that looked just like all the others. "Based on the structural support and vertical buttresses, this is the only one that won't collapse on us."

"Good choice then." Leo added.

Leo tried to stay chipper, but he thought he hears other voices whispering in the side corridors, beckoning him off course and tempting him to come to them, to listen to them speak.

The quest continued on into the ever darkening gloom. Finally they reached a door way carved in the shape of skulls. Zoe trailed along at the back of the group, still lost in thought. More specifically, she was thinking over the words Annabeth had spoken to her earlier. " _I know that you had confused feelings for Percy. I'm not going to judge you on it. You need to be aware of something. Percy was a survivor. He got out of so many bad situations miracously. What with the dead walking again... And where we are going... There is a slight possibility, no matter how small, that he could come back. The logical side of me says that it is impossible. But the intuitive part of me... Says that it's possible. If he comes back, you will need to make a decision. Every girl at camp half blood wants him, including me. But he only ever had eyes for you since the first day he saw you. I know you are a huntress, and I know your confused. But you need to make up your mind. Percy, if he comes back, won't be available forever. Make sure you don't miss your chance with your indecision."_ Ever since then, I had been debating in my head. Did I love Percy Jackson? Was he worth leaving the hunt? And the answer had been decided. Yes. He was. He was possibly the only good man left on this planet. Yes. I did love him.

Leo's voice snapped me out of my thoughts. "Where are all the monsters? I thought Gaea had an army down here?"

"I don't know. At this point, I think if prefer a straight up fight." Jason answered.

"Be careful what you wish for. This would be a horrible place to fight a battle. Blind corners, dead ends, a crumbling surrounding... This is a nightmare scenario for a tactician." Annabeth responded.

"Personally, I'm hoping no ones home. We walk in, save Frank and Hazel, destroy the doors of death, and walk out agin. Maybe stop at the gift shop."

"Yeah." Jason said. "That'll happen."

We continued on.

Zoe chewed her lip. "Everyone be careful. From here on, the dead are stronger than the living."

Piper didn't know how she knew, but she agreed. The voices in the darkness whispered louder. She caught glimpses of things in the shadows. From the ways her friends eyes darted around, she guessed they were seeing things too.

The tunnel rumbled and debris fell from the ceiling. "That was close." Annabeth mutters. "the walls can't take much more of this. It's happening every fifteen minutes or so. I estimate that can happen only a few more time before the teme caves in. We must hurry." The pace sped up a little. Eventually, Annabeth paused every one. "I think a scary room is coming up, based on the basic layout so far. Don't panic. I'll go first." She peaked into the next room and instantly drew back, pale faced and shaking.

 **A/N Anddddddd cut! Tune in next time! Oh, and I have decided that I will update which ever story I have inspiration for. Don't worry, they still will be updated quickly. This is my first cliffie. (I think) I have tried to hide references and Easter eggs throughout my story's with more than one chapter. Whoever can find the most will get a shout out in the next chapter. Plus, this chapter is a new record high for me with 1700 words on the dot. See Ya later!**

 **-Zero**


	10. Chapter 10 A one way trip in Hell

Chapter 10.

 **Oh that hurt. Just got out of my second day in court. I got sued out of my home for that antic I pulled in the last chapter. Let me tell you, those seats are uncomfortable. Remember kids, identity theft is good for you.**

Location: Tartarus

Hazel POV

Breaking her rib had been terrible. Pulling Frank down with her had been even worse. But now she could see him, suffering from gorgons blood poison and unable to do anything about it was even worse. Percy and Bob had fought off the arai, but a few had snuck past them, and Frank had fought them. He had taken half a dozen curses, including constant tickling, an eye tick, and the gorgon blood. That last one must have been the work of the seer in Portland. Frank had gambled with him and won, curing himself of his cursed stick. But now, it was coming back to haunt him. Bob had Frank slung like a bag of sports equipment over his shoulder while the skeleton kitten Small Bon was curled up on Franks back. Bob lumbered along at a quick pace even with holding Frank, and she wondered how Percy was keeping up while carrying her. Her lungs rattled, and her skin started to blister. She probably needed another drink over the firewater, but they had left the phelgathon behind a while back. She was so sore and battered she had forgotten what it was like to not be in pain.

"How much longer?" Hazel wheezed out.

"Almost too long." Bob called back. "But maybe not."

Very helpful. Hazel thought, though she was too tired to say it.

The landscape changed again. Now, they were traveling downhil, which should have made everything easier, but the ground was the wrong angle-too steep to jog, too treacherous to let their guard down for even a moment. The ground was sometimes loose gravel, sometimes patches of slime. Percy had to step around random bristles that were sharp enough to completely impale his foot, and clusters of... Well, not rocks exactly. More like warts the size of watermelons. If she had to guess(and she didn't want to) keeping with the body analogy, she figured they were going down Tartarus' large intestine. The air got heavier and stank of sewage. The darkness maybe got less intense, but she could only see Bob because of his silver hair and the point on his broom. She noticed he hadn't retracted the point since their fight with the arai, which didn't exactly reassure her. She thought about Franks daydream of New Rome-the two of them settling down, going to college together. If only they would survive this. If only Reyna got her message. If only a million other long shots paid off.

Stop it, she chided herself. She had to concentrate on not moving so Percy wouldn't lose his balence. They continued downward, putting one foot in front of the other, taking this downhill intestinal hike one wary at a time. Her knees felt warm and wobbly, like wire hangers bent to the point of breaking. Frank groaned and muttered something she couldn't make out.

Bob suddenly stopped. "Look."

Ahead of them the terrain leveled into a black swamp. Sulphur yellow most hung in the air. Even without sunlight, there were actual plants. Clumps of reeds, scrawny little trees, even a few sickly looking flowers blooming in the muck. Mossy trails wound between bubbling tar pits. Directly in front of Percy were deep tracks the size of trash can lids, with long pointed toes. Sadly, Hazel thought she knew what they were. "Drakon?"

Bob and Percy beamed at her. "Yes! That is good!"

"Uh... Why?" From what she remembered from her classes drakons were bad news.

"Because we are close." And with that Bob marched into the swamp.

Hazel wanted to scream. She hates being at the mercy of a Titan. Especially one that was recovering his memory and was taking them to see a "good" giant. She hated foraging through a swamp that was clearly the territory of a drakon. At least the terrain forced Bob and Percy to go slower so she could examine Frank, who was muttering deliriously, his forehead hot. Several times he mumbled Hazel, and she had to fight back a sob. Finally the sickly colored mist cleared, revealing a muddy clearing like an island in the muck. The ground was dotted with stunted trees and wart moods. In the middle loomed a large, domed hut made of bones and greenish leather. Scented smoke rose from a hole in the top. The entrance was covered with scaly reptile skin. Two torches made of colossal femer bones burned a bright yellow, flanking the entrance.

What really caught her attention was the skull. Fifty yard into the clearing, about halfway to the hut, a massive oak tree jutted from the ground at a forty-five degree angle. The jaws of a drakon skull encircled the entire trunk. "Yes." Bob murmured. "This is good."

None of this felt good to Hazel. Before she could protest, Small Bob arched his back and hissed. Behind them, a roar echoed through the swamp- a roar she had only ever heard recordings of. She turned her head and saw a drakon charging at them.

...

...

...

...

(thought about ending it there, but decided to continue)

The drakon was easily the most beiutiful thing Hazel had seen in Tartarus. It's hide was a dappled green and yellow, like sunlight through a forest canopy. It's eyes were a gorgeous sea-green just like Percy's. When it's frills unfurled around its head, she couldn't help but think what a beautiful monster was about to kill them. It was easily as long as a subway train. It's massive claws dug into the ground as it pulled itself forward. The drakon hissed, sending spurts of green poison around the clearing, smoking against the ground, and set tar pits on fire, filling the clearing with the smell of fresh pine and ginger. The monster even smelled good. She tried to keep her voice from quivering. "Percy? What are we facing here?"

"Maeonian Drakon." Percy and Bob said at the same time. "From Maeonia."

More helpful information. Hazel would've smacked them both upside the head if she had the strength. "Any way we can kill it?"

"Us?" Bob asked. "No." Then we heard a booming voice from behind us. "Stop! They are friends. Go back to guard duty." The creature hissed and turned away. We turned around as a twenty foot tall giant strode towards us. He had a humanoid upper body and scaly dragon legs. Instead of armour, he wore a shirt stitched together from sheepskin. His skin was cherry red, and his hair and beard were the color of rust. "Sorry about that, he is a little over protective." He examined us. "Bob, Percy. Who are these other two?" Percy decided to be the one to answer.

"That" he said, pointing at my boyfriend. "Is Frank and this is Hazel. Frank got hit by a gorgon's blood curse from the Arai. Can you help?"

"Of course!" The giant boomed, turning around. "Come in, come in! Anything to help a friend in this infernal place." He stood and listened for a moment, before his face darkened. "We have to hurry. You have giants hunting you. They will be here by morning. Come." And with that he walked away, beckoning for us to follow him.


	11. Chapter 11 The Doors

**A/N Hi guys! Decided to try to finish this one so I can start another story. This probably has three to four chapters to go. Of course, I said that way back around chapter four or five. Oh, I'm currently typing this while floating on my kayak outside my house. The entire first floor is underwater. Quite the novel time. Here we go!**

Location: Tartarus

Hazel POV

Cozy.

She never thought she would be able to describe anything in Tartarus that way, but, despite the fact that the Giant's hut was the size of a planetarium and constructed of bones, drakon skin, and mud. In the center of the room a bonfire blazed, yet the smoke was white and odorless. The floor was covered in dry marsh grass and gray woven rugs. At one end was a massive bed made of sheepskin and drakon leather. At the other end, racks stood, holding herbs, drying meats, and curing skins. The place smelled of smoke, stew, basil, and thyme. As Damasen set about making supper and healing Frank, Hazel sat down for a moment and thought. Even to her, the last couple days had been wild beyond belief. They had saved Rome from death by theatrics. Saved the Athena Parthanos. Fallen into Tartarus. Been saved and protected by a Titan and a dead famous hero. On top of that, they were now accepting the hospitality of a friendly giant. Who would have thought it? She was broken out of her thoughts by the red giant sitting next to her.

"He will be fine. Wake up in a couple hours with nothing but a small headache, but it will fade soon enough." She inclined her head akwardky.

"Thank you. It was nice of you just to help us, who you had never met."

That sparked a chuckle. "Two things young one. First, I know Bob. He and Percy saved me from my curse. Between them, they forced me to break the cycle. Now instead of just fighting my old enemy, we have made our peace. Now I can leave the swamp and travel Tartarus freely. And second, I never said my service would be free of charge."

Hazel gulped. "What do you need for payment?"

Bright crimson eyes stared at her. "A story. It gets lonely in Tartarus. Tell me the tale of your adventures." Hazel didn't exactly feel comfortable in revealing what had happened and telling their future plans. But she couldn't help herself. In no time, she was pouring her heart out to Damasen. The giant was a surprisingly good listener. Once she was done, he sat, thinking.

"Intresting. Very well. I have decided. The four of you shall depart from here in the morning. I will stay behind and slow my brethren down as long as I can. I have power here in the swamp and will stall them as long as I can. I will catch up." At this point Percy came over and joined the conversation.

"From there, we will get you three to the doors of death. You guys will go up while I hold the doors from this side. That way the two of you get out, and so does Bob."

Hazel nodded. "That sounds like a good plan." Then her head snapped around and she looked at him. "Wait. WHAT! There is no way we are leaving you here. You are coming out with us. Besides, Zoe would kill me if she knew I left her savior behind."

He smirked. "Aye. That she would. But Hazel, someone needs to say behind to hold the doors. I refuse to leave Bob here. Damasen and I will have our hands full holding off whatever army Gaea has waiting there for rebirth. Besides" Here he smiled sadly. "I don't belong in this world. My time has come and gone. There is no place for something... Someone... Like me. I am an constallation. I have spent most of my time in the heavens and down here training. I am on a completely different level than I was. Even if I get out, Pluto and Thanatos would have to send me back. Even if I got past that, Jupiter wouldn't accept having me back. Sure, I might be a help against Gaea. But after that, he would see me as a threat to his power and influence and attempt to dispose of me. It just wouldn't work." Here he paused and looked at me. "Promise me. Promise me you will take a message to Zoe from me." He leaned forward and put his lips next to my ear. "Tell her... I regret nothing. I would make my decision again in a heartbeat. And tell her that... I love her." He hurled himself to his feet and walked over to where Bob was.

I remained where I was, dumbstruck. Percy liked Zoe. He actually loved the leutinant of Artemis. I shook my head. Boys. I somehow doubted that he knew that Zoe was head over heels for him to. Sure, she may deny it. But it is obvious to anyone who looks, the sparkle in Her eye when she recounts his tale, the emotion she shows when thinking about him. It wasn't exactly subtle. Plus, I had heard a discussion over this subject between Zoe and Piper. At that moment, I made an Oath on the Styx. I would get Percy out of this Hellhole and back to Zoe. Though I coudnt hear it, I knew there was a peal of thunder rolling right now, somewhere far, far above.

Next morning, we were already out of the swamp. Damasen stayed to hold off the other Giants, so we were making full speed towards the doors of death. Frank wondered what happened after they left the Giants hut. He hadn't heard their outsiders in hours, but he could sense their hatred, pushing them deeper into Tartarus. He shivered. No. That depressing feeling he felt must be broadcast by the Pit. "This place is worse than the river Cochytus." He muttered.

"Yes!" Bob called back. "Much worse. That is good. It means we are close."

They continued on, until they created a hill, and then they saw it. Before them stretching out into the distance was a valley big enough to hold San Fransisco bay. A booming noise came from the entire landscape, as if thunder was going in underneath the surface. Under poisanus clouds, the terrain glistened purple with dark red and blue scar lines. He fought down his revulsion. "It looks like a..."

"Like a heart." Hazel finished.

The surface of the valley was covered in a black fuzz of peppery dots. They were so far away it took Frank a minute to realize he was looking at an army, with thousands, maybe tens of thousands, of monsters, all gathered around a central pinpoint of darkness. Even from the edge of the valley, Frank could feel it's pull. "Those must be the Doors of Death." Percy strode forward and looked at Bob.

"You ready?" Bob nodded. "Then let's do this." He pulled out riptide, and gazed at it for a second. "Work for me again old friend. One more time." With that he and Bob held out their weapons and ran in the direction of the army.


	12. Chapter 12 MechanicPhilosepher

Location: Epirus, Greece

Piper POV

Piper wasn't proud of crying. After the tunnel collapsed, she wept and screamed like a two-year old throwing a temper tantrum. She couldn't move the debris that separated her and Leo from the others. If the earth shifted any more, the entire temple complex would fall on their heads. Still, she pounded her fists against the stones and yelled curses that would have earned her a couple hundred push ups from coach hedge at the wilderness school. She had just watched the rest of her friends hold off the monsters so her and Leo could go on. Then the tunnel collapsed, isolating the duo from the rest of the quest. Even worse, she had no idea how the battle was going on the other side of the collapse. Jason could be dying right now, and she would be powerless to help him.

Leo stared at her, wide eyed and speechless. She wasn't being fair to him. The last time the two of them had been alone, she had zapped him into memories of her life, and left him so dazed they had almost been killed by Shrimpzilla. "Sorry." she wiped her face.

"Hey you know..." Leo shrugged. "Ive attacked a few rocks in my day too."

She swallowed with difficulty. "Jason is... he's-"

"Listen," Leo said. "Jason Grace has moves. He will probably start flying around like Peter Pan and blast them to pieces. He'll be fine." He helped her to her feet. Despite the panic simmering inside her, she knew Leo was right. Jason and the others weren't helpless. They would find a way to survive. The best thing she and Leo could do would be to carry on.

She studied Leo. His hair had grown to be longer and shaggier, and his face was leaner, so he looked lis like an imp and more like a willowy elf in a fairy tale. The biggest difference was his eyes. They constantly drifted, as if Leo was trying to spot something over the horizon.

"Leo, i'm sorry." She said.

He raised an eyebrow. "Okay. For what?"

"For..." She gestured around her helplessly. "Everything, for thinking you were annoying, for leading you on. I mean, i didn't mean to, but if i did-"

"Hey." He squeezed her hand, but she sensed nothing romantic in the gesture. "Stop it Beauty Queen. I'm proud of being annoying. I intentionally try to be annoying. Don't insult my ability to annoy. Besides, machines are supposed to work."

"uh, what?"

"I figure the universe is like a machine. I don't know who made it, if it was the Fates or the gods or capital-G god or whatever. but it chugs along the way it is supposed to most of the time. Sure, little pieces break and stuff goes haywire once in a while, but mostly... things happen for a reason. Like you and me meeting."

"Leo Valdez." I murmured. "You are a philosopher"

"Nah. I'm just a mechanic. My job is to tell you it will be okay. You and Jason- You're good together. We will get you through this. I hope the two of you get a chance to be happy. Besides, Jason couldnt tie his shoes without you."

"Thats mean." Piper chided, but she felt like something was untangeling inside her, tension she had been carrying around for weeks.

Leo really had changed. He had become even better of a friend than he was before. "What happened to you when you were on your own? Who did you meet?"

Leo's eye twitched. "Long story. I'll tell you sometime, but I'm still waiting to see how it shakes out.

"The universe is a machine." I said. "It'll be fine." I paused. "Well, as long as it's not one of your machines, cause they never work the way you want them to."

"Yeah, Ha Ha." He summoned fire to illuminate the tunnel. "Any idea witch way to go?"

Piper shrugged and pointed. "That way seems as good as any. Come on!" And with that we descended further into the House of Hades.

As soon as we reached the first archway, Piper stopped. She could feel a presence, cold, heavy, and powerful. She hadn't felt anything like it since Medea. "We are close."

"Close to what?"

A woman's voice echoes down the corridor. "Close to _me_."

A wave of nausea hit Piper so hard her knees buckled. The whole world seemed to shift and her sense of direction became completely unmoored. She and Leondidnt seem to move but suddenly they were three hundred feet down the corridor.

"Welcome." Said the voice. "I have been waiting for this." Pipers eyes swept the room but could not find the speaker. The room reminded her of the pantheon in Rome, but was decorated in Hades Modern. The walls were covered with scenes of death. Plague victims, corpses on a battlefield, starving people in Ethiopia, tortureed skeletons hanging in iron cages- all embellished with precious gems that only made the scene more ghastly. Her eyes drifted to the center of the room. "Yep." Leo muttered. "Those are the doors all right."

Fifty feet away was a set of freestanding elevator doors, it's panels etched in iron and silver. Next to her, Leo let out a strangled sound. "They are the same as on Olympus." It was true. They looked exactly like the doors to the Olympic throne room, just in different colors. Chains ran down both sides, securely attached to hooks in the floor. Next to the door, dark spots congregated from around the room to form a twenty foot tall giant. Clytius was shrouded in black smoke, just as in her dream. Piper could barely make out the form but what she could see- a huge humanoid upper body clad in Stygian iron armor. He had long hair that was made of dark most. He carried no weapon, yet that did not make him less scary. Leo whistled in appreciation. "Man, for such a tall dude Clytius, you have a beautiful voice."

"Fool." Hissed the voice. In front of them, midway to the doors, formed a familiar female figure, with blond hair. Piper gasped.

"A... Annabeth?" The sorceress nodded her head.

"Got it in one. Surprised?" She smirked. She held a hand out and snapped her fingers. Her features changed to completely new ones. She now wore an elegant sleeveless dress with gold embroidery, her blond hair piled into a cone, encircled with emeralds and diamonds. Around her neck was a pendent shaped like the labyrinth, that hung from a golden cord inset with rubys that reminded Piper of drops of blood. She was beautiful in a regal, timeless way- like a statue you might admire but never love. "I hate the gods, and demigods too, for that matter. If any of you survive the war Geae has promised me then, so I can slowly torture then to death in my new domain. I only wish I had more time for me to torture you properly."

"I thought you were in our side?" Leo asked.

The subject of his question snarled. "Serve the gods? Never. Annabeth, daughter of Athena never existed. Annabeth, servant of Gaea has been around for a very long time however. All it took was a small glamour to disguise my immortal age and my voice, and that stupid camp took me in without a second thought. Every time someone sent information to the Titans in the first war? Me. I was the "girlfriend" of their leader, plus a cabin leader, so i was in every meeting. Silena? She was blackmailed into wearing what she thought was a perfectly innocent charm. If she didn't, her family would be killed. Ever wonder how all the monsters and giants always knew where the Argo was? That's because I carried a tracker with me. That how I never got hurt. I have been known by many names across the ages. Sometimes Pasiphae, sometimes Medea, others knew me as Circe, but my most commen name, and the illusion I kept up the most, was Hecate. The goddess of magic and crossroads. That was me. That's why no one ever knew much about Hecate. What was my catchphrase? Athena always has a plan? Well, Gaea always has a plan. She decided to plant a spy in the enemy ranks all the way back in the first giant war., just in case something went drastically wrong. You are all doomed. Same with your friends in Tartarus. The doors should be in use any moment now."

In the center of the room the doors let out a chiming sound. The green button glowed and the chains holding the doors down shook. "There, you see?" Annabeth shrugged. "The doors are in use. They will open in twelve minutes."

Piper's gut trembled almost as much as the chains. "More Giants?" She squeaked.

"Thankfully, no." Annabeth smiled. "They are all accounted for. Back in the mortal world and in place for the final assault. No, I would imagine the doors are in use by someone... Unauthorized." Leo inched forward, smoke rising from his fists.

"Frank and Hazel."

Piper couldn't speak. She didn't know if the lump in her throat was caused by joy or frustration. If their friends really mad it to the doors, if they were going to arrive in twelve minutes...

"Oh not to worry." Annabeth said waving her hand dismissively. "Clytius will handle them. You see, when the elevator gets here, someone on this side has to press the open button. If not, the people inside... Poof! Gone forever. Or maybe I will make Clyitus handle them I person and let them out. It all depends on you two."

Piper's mouth tasted like tin. "How does it depend on us?"

"Well obviously we only need one set of demigods to sacrifice. The lucky two will be taken to Athens and sacrificed on the feast of hope to awaken the earth mother."

"Obviously." Leo muttered.

"So will it be you two or your friend in the elevator?" The sorceress spread her hands. "Let's see who is alive in twelve-actually eleven minutes now."

The cavern dissolved into darkness.

 **A/N Hey guys, I'll make a deal with you. If I get to 35 reviews by three in the afternoon tomorrow, I will update tomorrow. If I get 40 reviews by noon, I will update twice tomorrow. Otherwise, I might start a chapter tomorrow, but maybe not finish and post it. Every review I see gives me more encouragement to keep writing. Also, could you guys tell me which story you would rather see updated and why? I think this is the most popular one, but I don't know for sure. Yes, I live in Houston. Omega Alpha Hydra, yes it gives me more time. The hardest part for any of my story's is getting started and providing backstory, I already have two more story's lined up and ready to go. I have seen good authors overwhelmed by having to write for too many story's at once, so I set myself a limit of three. The next one is more original than this one, this was basically the same storyline with a few major twists. Sorry about this Annabeth fans, but I always thought of annabeth as a bit of a character who would pick the side who would win and would hate the gods. Also, this is something I have never seen done. I can provide more on her decision if you like.**


	13. Chapter 13 Tartarus

**A/N TheMasterTrident13 . Yes, pasiphae loved her son, and yes she's not exactly happy about Percy killing him twice. However, both times, annabeth either wasn't there(CHB) or she was unconscious and getting healed.(battle for Manhattan) Therefore we did not get a chance to see her possible reaction. I just didn't see her going over the top with it like Echidna. Plus, she knows that he will reform, and with the Doors of death open, he reforms almost instantly. Thanks for your review though, I am always happy to correct a mistake I may have made, and questions like this show that my story is engaging enough that people will point out ways I can improve the story. Chromite, yes, I know there are spelling errors. I am planning that once I finish the story I will go back and make corrections, especially to the first few chapters. In other news, the storm belts from Dallas and Austin are now hitting Houston, so I may lose power and slow down for a day or two. Sadly, we did not hit forty reviews by noon, but you guys were so, so close. In recognition of that effort, I am currently starting writing the next chapter now.**

Hazel POV

Watching Bob and Percy fight... It was incredible. They were both so skilled that they were taking almost no hits from the monster army. Percy was carving a swathe out of the monsters, riptide and a drakon bone blade were slicing through the enemy at ridiculous speeds, he looked like a whirlwind of white and bronze. Bob in the other hand was more methodical. He was taking his time with Small Bob at his side, dealing with the monsters one at a time instead of striking out blindly. A few monsters tried to sneak up on him, but he twirled his cleaning spray bottle and squirted them in the face. The monsters doubled over, clutching their faces and screaming in pain. Apparently it was filled with water from the Styx. They had killed so many, yet it was but a drop in the ocean. There were simply too many monsters to kill this way, even for two warriors such as these. As Percy passed near us he stopped for a second. "You are supposed to be some of the greatest warriors of the demigods!" He bellowed."Feel free to lend a hand." And with that he was gone, already several yards away, fighting a cyclops one on one.

Frank and I glanced at each other, nodded, drew our swords and charged. Before long, between the five of us, we had cleared some space in front of the doors. That was when the Titans decided to join the party. Krios and Hyperion stride forward and stood in front of Percy and Bob respectively. "Iepatus." Hyperion growled. "You traitor! Why are you helping the demigods? I will give you one chance to blame your lack of memories and join us, and all will be forgiven."

Bob hesitated, then tensed, his resolve strengthening. He turned to me. "Go. Break the chains holding the doors. We will hold them off."

"So be it!" Krios roared. And with that, the four exceptional warriors hurled themselves at each other and the fight began. I looked at Frank.

"On the count of three?" He nodded. We both raised our swords. "Three... Two... One..." Before we could strike the chains, a high pitched whine powers my ears, like an incoming missile. I had just time to think "Uh-oh" before Frank plowed into me, knocking me to the ground. That probably saved our lives. Then an explosion rocked the hillside. A wave of heat knocked Percy back. Dark shrapnel ripped through Krios and Hyperion, as easily as wood in a chipper. "STINKING PIT" A voice rolled across the plains, shaking the warm fleshy ground. Bob staggered to his feet. Somehow he had survived the explosion, but not without injury. He had a huge gash in his left side, right over his lung. He swept his broom in front of him, trying to locate the voice. Small Bob crawled into his coveralls.

"TITANS." The voice said in disgust. "LESSER BEINGS. WEAK AND IMPERFECT." In front of the doors, the air darkened and solidified. The being who appeared was so massive, and radiated such evil, it made Hazel want to crawl away and hide. Instead, she forced her eyes to trace his form, starting with his black iron boots, each as big as a coffin. His legs were covered in dark greaves, his flesh all thick purple muscle, just like the ground. His armpit was made of thousands of darkened, twisted bones, woven together like massive chain links and held together by an belt of monstrous arms. On the surface of the breastplate, murky faces appeared and submerged, as if trying to get out. The Warriors arms were bare- muscular, purple, and glistening. His hands were as large as crane scoops. Worst of all was his head. A helmet of twisted rock and metal with no particular shape-just jagged spikes and pulsing patches of magma. His face was a whirlpool, an inward spiral of darkness. Percy found his voice.

"Tartarus." He growled. The warrior made a sound like a mountain cracking in half, wether it was a roar or a laugh could not be determined. _"This form is only a small manifestation of my power. But it is enough to deal with you. I do not interfere lightly little demigods. Even the Olympians were not worthy of my personal attention. But you will be destroyed by Tartarus himself!"_ He stretched out his massive purple hand to pick up Frank, and might have succeeded if Bob hadn't interfered.

"Begone!" The Titan pointed the spear at Tartarus. "You have no right to meddle."

" _Meddle_?" Tartarus turned. _"I am the Lord of all the creatures of darkness, puny Iepatus. I can do as I please."_ His black cyclone face started to swirl faster until it became a howl. Bob stumbled forward and drove his spear towards the primordial. Before it could connect, he was swatted aside like a fly. "Why do you not disintegrate?" Tartarus muttered. "You are nothing even wee Krios and Hyperion.

"I am bob." Said Bob.

Tartarus hissed. "What is that? What is Bob?"

"I chose to be more than Iepatus." Said the Titan. "You do not control me. I am not like my brothers."

The flap of his coveralls bulged and Small Bob leaped out, landing in front of his master and hissing at the manifestation of the pit. As they watched, Small Bob began to grow, his form flickering until he was a full grown, translucent saber tooth tiger. "Also." Bob announced. "I have a good cat." No-Longer-Small-Bob yowled in agreement.

"Hey!" Percy yelled. "If you can break the ancient laws, so can we!" He flipped a dark colored coin into the air. Hazel saw that one side said "one wish". The coin vanished, and the pit darkened. The shadows were all drawn together to one place, were they formed the image of a forty foot tall woman riding a Stygian iron chariot pulled by skeletal horses. "Nyx." Percy respectfully addressed the primordial. "Tartarus has broken the ancient laws by fighting is before challenged. We ask that you protect us as we flee." The woman nodded.

"Nyx!" Tartarus yelled. "You can't be here! This isn't your domain or your problem!"

The woman nodded. "True, I am breaking the ancient laws. But you broke them first. Besides, I owed Percy here a favor for getting me in the brochure and the Tartarus Times."

"The what?"

"The Tartarus times. It is the newspaper down here you know. And thanks to Percy, I made the front page!" She held up the front page of a black and purple newspaper. "See? My power may be reduced here, but it is still enough to let them escape."

"And i will help!" Boomed a new voice. Across a stretch of open ground, the Maeonian Drakon spread its frills and hissed. It shifted its hundred foot long body and flicked its tail, demolishing an enitre section of ogres. Riding on its back was a red skinned giant with flowers braided in his rust red beard, a jerkin of green leather and a few lances in one hand.

"Damasen!" Frank cried.

Tartarus lunged forward, starting the battle. Bob and his cat stumbled away from the battle towards the demigods. "Go. Get in the elevator you three." Percy demanded. Bob smiled.

"I'm afraid not." He picked up Percy and hurled him inside. "I will not survive to the top. But you can. Twelve minutes. I can give you that. Besides, I'm immortal, remember. I'll come back. We'll see each other again."

Frank spoke up. "Until then, we will keep the legend alive. Of the best giant, and the best Titan."

Bob grinned. "I like that. Hold the doors shut from the inside, they will try to resist your passing." With a roar, he brought his spear down on the chains, shattering them and freeing the doors. The last thing the demigods saw as the doors shut, was Nyx and Tartarus trading blasts of shadows and Hellfire.

 **A/N Hiya guys! All right, this is your chance to tell me what story you want next. I know I said only three at a time earlier, but I'm almost done with one of them and I couldn't wait any longer. If I don't get any feedback I will decide myself. The choices are A) Percy is exiled, several gods are afraid that he thinks the gods are the lesser of two evils and make him vanish. 300 years later, the gods are under attack from Kronos, but he won't help. He has his own little camp now, one that sparks a legend around the world. The myth of Shangri-La. The fallout is massive from his decision. Or, the other choice, B)** **Narnia PJO crossover. When Leo is blown off the Argo by khione, he lands in a land of everlasting winter. This is the untold story of the hero in the shadows, Leo Valdez, savior of Narnia and the forgotten fifth ruler of Narnia. I came up with this one when I noticed there weren't many(if any) crossovers that were any good or where any length unless other books and movies are involved as well. This AN wasn't originally here, but I added it so more people would see it and therefore have a chance to voice there opinion.**


	14. Chapter 14 Singin in the rain

**Before I start, I would like to point out that i have gotten my first (update faster!) review. I like to think I have done a good job in my two weeks on fan fiction. Please, don't review asking that. As an author, it is infuriating to see people act like you don't have a life. Authors update as often as they can. I have updated not once but twice in the past twenty four hours. There was simply no call for the review. I understand you meant well, just don't do it again. Tell you guys what, if I ever don't update for more than two weeks without giving you guys a heads up, I will update 3 times for the most popular story. You can then throw rotten fruit to your hearts content. Until then... Please don't try to rush me. Oh, and REVIEWS=MORAL SUPPORT AND ENCOURAGEMENT= FAST UPDATES. Anyway, here we go!"**

 **-Zero**

Location, Doors of death

Hazel POV

"Frank! Help me!" Hazel yelped. She shoved her entire body against the left side of the door. Frank did the same on the right. There were no handles, or anything to hold the doors closed. As the elevator ascended the doors constantly shook, threatening to spill them into whatever was between life and death. Hazel's shoulders ached. The easy-listening music didn't help. It must have been selected by Apollo. If all monsters had to listen to the song about piña colada and getting caught in the rain, no wonder they were in a mood for carnage when they reached the world above. "We left them." Frank croaked. "They'll die for us and we just-"

"I know." She muttered. "Gods of Olympus I know." Hazel was almost glad for the job of keeping the doors shut, it gave her a way to keep from dissolving into misery. Abandoning their friends had been the hardest thing she had ever done. For years at Camp Jupiter, she had chafed as other campers went on quests while she stayed behind. She watched as others gained glory... Or failed and didn't come back. Ever since she had arrived, she thought: why don't I get to lead a quest? Why don't I get to prove my skills?

"Frank, the doors." She warned. The panels had started to slide apart, letting in a whiff of... Ozone? Sulfer? Percy came over and helped them both. She had almost forgotten he was there. His eyes blazed with anger, though wether it was aimed at her she didn't know. If it keeps him going, she though, then let him be mad.

"I will kill Gaea." He muttered. "I will rip her apart with my bare hands." Hazel nodded, but she was thinking about Tartarus' boast. He could not be killed. Neither could Gaea. Against such power, even Titans and Giants were hopllessly outmatched. Demigods stood no chance. She remembered Bob's warning. "This may not be the last sacrifice you must make to save the world." She felt the truth deep in her bones. "Twelve minutes" she muttered. "Just twelve minutes." She prayed that Bon could hold the up button that long. She wondered what she would find when they reached the top.

If their friends weren't there, weren't controlling the other side of the doors... "We can do this." Percy said. "We have to."

"Yeah." Frank said. "We do." Together, they held the doors shut as the elevator shuddered and the music played, while somewhere below them, A giant, Titan, and primordial sacrificed themselves for their escape.

* * *

Jason POV

Zoe had been incredible. Weapons bounced off her and she felt no pain as she led the undead legion against the monsters. She had been glowing a dark black color. Before she knew it, the battle was over. Piper sliced through the last empires, who dissolved on a wail. "Zoe" I said. "You're on fire." She looked down. A few drops of burning oil had splattered on her, but she didn't seem particular worried. She just patted them until they went out. Nico cleared his throat.

"Umm... You also have an arrow sticking out of your arm."

"I know." She snapped off the point and pulled the shaft out. All she felt was a warm tugging sensation. "I'll be fine." Piper practically force-fed Zoe some ambrosia. Her adrenalin drained away. She looked around, searching for any monsters, but all she saw were the dead roman legionaries, standing in a stupor with weapons lowered. Nico held up the scepter, the orb dark and dormant. "The dead won't stay here much longer now that the battle is over."

Zoe faced her troops. "Legion!" She barked. The zombie soldiers snapped to attention. "You fought well." She told them. "Now you may rest. Dismissed." They crumbled into a pile of weapons and bones. Then even those disintegrated. Zoe felt as if she might crumble too. Despite the ambrosia, her arm began to throb. Her eye were heavy with exhahaustion. Her aura started to fade, robbing her of even more strength. But her work wasn't done yet. "Piper and Leo." She said, swaying on her feet. "We need to find them."

The remaining crew of the Argo gazed over across the room. At the other end of the cavern, the tunnel previously used was filled with rubble. "We can't go that way." Nico said. "Maybe-"

he suddenly stumbled and fell. "Nico!" Piper said. "What is it?"

"The doors." Nico groaned. "Something is happening. Something big. There are three people coming up, not two. We need to go now."

"But how?" Jason asked. "The tunnel is blocked."

Zoe clenched her jaw and exchanged a glance with Piper. She hadn't come this far to sit around while her friends were in danger, as well as just maybe... Percy. That sealed it. She heaved herself back to her feet. "I don't like it." She announced. "But there is a way." With that she took off, running full speed at the blocked tunnel. She slammed into it shoulder first, using her title as the daughter of the Titan of strength. The tunnel shoke, and a dust cloud arose from the collision. When it cleared, Zoe was gone, already running down the hallway leaving a clear path.

"Dang." Leo let out an impressed whistle. "She's a regular one woman battering ram isn't she?" He asked, perfectly summarizing the situation.

 **A/N One more thing, the "Zoe as a weapon idea" used in my other story was created by Don Socrates in his story a trip through time. I PMed him and got permission to use his idea. I have an acknowledgment in the final chapter of this story.**


	15. Chapter 15 The Final Chapter

**A/N Before I start this final chapter I just wanted to say something. Thank You. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for everything you guys have done for me. Every follow, favorite, and review has helped me shape this story in ways I could never have imagined. Seeing your support is what makes me stay up at night, get up early, and skip meals to work on this. I apologize this story isn't longer, I went through my plot faster than I thought I would. I will try to make my story's longer now that I have learned my lesson. OverlordRevan and Omega Alpha Hydra have been reading and supporting me ever since I started this, shoutout to them. Also, thank you, Starblade176, anaklusmos14, iwovepizza, Don Socrates, and Pluto's daughter11. There story's and ideas have helped shape my writing style to what it is. These five authors are some of the idols that every author on this site should strive to match. If any of you five happen to spend the time to read this, thank you. I will do my best to follow the examples you set and produce great storys though I will never match your level.**

The Hero in the stars final chapter

Piper POV

As the cavern was plunged into darkness, I froze. It was Leo who saved me. He grabbed my arm and pulled me out of the way in time to dodge a few fireballs from… Well just call her Annabeth. He leaned close. "We have to stall and wait for the others. We can't take her alone. You distract her. Give me Katoptris. I can upgrade it." Slightly confused, Piper handed him her knife and took off, shooting food from her cornucopia in the general direction of Annabeth. A particularly large turkey soared out into the darkness. It must have made contact, as there was a pained grunt from the middle of the room. Suddenly the darkness vanished as if a curtain had been lifted. Annabeth stood there, looking murderous.

"You will pay for that." She hissed, steam coming out of her mouth as she glared at me. She suddenly opened her mouth and a torrent of fire shot at me. I hurled myself sideways, blindly firing the horn of plenty. It reacted to my basic emotion, which at that point consisted of one thought. "Water!" It wasn't water, but something similar. Pina Colada. The downside was, it was an alcoholic mixture, which resulted in in putting the sorceress in the middle of what looked like a Molotov cocktail explosive. After the eruption of flames cleared somewhat, the witch still stood, glaring at me, with some slightly burned eyebrows and a scorched dress. "Well-played young one. You were good. But not good enough!" She roared as she raised her hands. Her pendant shimmered, reality twisted, and suddenly I was in the middle of a tunnel, with grinding sound coming from both tunnel walls. Both walls rumbled and shifted, starting to close in on me. I followed the only logical reaction at that point. Run. I darted forward, racing as fast as I could to get out of this death trap. I made it out of that section, and suddenly I was running across not stone, but wood, planks laid over a giant pit on poles. The moss was everywhere, dulling my footsteps and threatening to trip me up. There were a few wooden beams laid cross wise across the tunnel, with a few stone pillars here and there. I started to slow down, that was, until I heard something pursuing me. I kept going, until a reached a juncture where the path went two ways, like a capital T. I stood, indecisive, until a giant black furred claw raced across my peripheral vision on my right side and slammed into the stone wall, leaving a mark. That made my decision for me. I went left. Let me tell you, it is hard to keep running at full speed when you are dodging around obstacles with the knowledge that something is behind you. I then ran into a particularly tricky part. It was a pillar to the left, so I went right. I then had to go through a two foot high crawl space at the bottom, it was either that or climb up about twenty feet. Piper took all this in in an instant. She threw herself feet first, going into a sort of baseball slide. As she went under, something grabbed at her hair and ripped about the bottom half off. She screamed, and with tears in her eyes, stood up and attempted to examine her hair, the Aphrodite part of her coming through at the worst possible time. She didn't even notice the whatever-it-was almost on top of her. She didn't snap out of it until the roar of a motor made her look up. Out of a side tunnel, an honest to goodness Piranha Prowler from a video game swerved by and scooped her up. Driving was none other than Leo Valdez. She looked at him, dumbstruck. He smirked at her. "Relax beauty queen. I guess she put us both in video games, though mine looks a lot more fun and wacky than yours. I guess you got put in some kind of temple run game. Did you ever play that?" She nodded numbly, the reality of their situation setting in. "Huh. I always found that game kinda boring. Well, until I hacked it. And ratcheted up the difficulty. And… you know, forget it. Anyway, I got thrown into a Mario Kart game. Complete with real mystery boxes!" As he spoke, Bowser drove by and rammed into the side of the car. "Jerk!" Leo shouted. "Take this!" He popped up a little heads up display in the corner of the dashboard, and pressed a green shell icon. A catapult sprang up from the back and hurled it at the offender, slamming into him and knocking him off course. "Take that you foul fiend! Oh, I know I'm supposed to throw it, but that was too hard! I sorta-kinda-maybe-did use a few cheat codes I came up with. Anyway, the only way I can think of to get out of here" He was interrupted by a bunch of dive bombing blue bats. Once we got past them he turned and looked at me. "We have to finish the race. I already tried using weapons and stuff against the walls. No go. I think we are in Wario's gold mine. Happen to know of any short cuts?" Piper nodded and pointed to the side. We were currently rattling over what looked like mine cart rails.

"Up ahead, the tunnel will split in two. The left fork looks short and hangs off into nothing. Take that branch. You fall a few feet and land in a secret side tunnel. Just be sure not to run into one of the mine carts."

Leo nodded and prepared to do as she said. When we hit the fork, his hands were gripping the wheel so tightly his knuckles were white. He closed his eyes as he drove over the edge, only to reopen them as he felt the cart hit the dirt. He looked ahead and turned in time to avoid running into a wall ahead of them. "You could have warned me!"

"Sorry! It's not like that on the wii. I guess she messed with the course a little. How about I drive? I used to play Mario Kart for hours. I know the course by heart. You can work on improving our odds with the mystery boxes and being able to hold more than one. That okay?" Her tone made it clear she wasn't asking. Leo nodded and slide to the side, letting her at the wheel. She grabbed it and she grinned. "I always wanted to drive a real life version of one of these!" As she spoke they whipped across the line. Lap one was complete. The lapboard read 4:28.

"Eight minutes left!" Annabeth's voice boomed over the speaker system. Piper groaned. Eight minutes and they still had two laps to go? No time for enjoyment apparently.

Meanwhile, Annabeth was pacing back and forth. "They are not supposed to enjoy it. I know! I'll make it harder!" as she spoke, she flicked her wrist and it was done.

Back in the course, Piper was driving like a maniac. She went way too fast, played bumper cars with the other characters, and took turns on two wheels. Leo had figured out the hack for the multiple mystery boxes, and she used it to vicious effect. As they flew by the marker, Leo glanced at the timer. 4:03 was what the time was. He turned. "Piper the time was…"

"I know!" She snapped. "Never disturb the driver. I'm already going to have to take some more chances on this go round. Hang onto your hat!" She flipped the Kart off a ramp and into the air; coming down on Luigi with such force that Leo winced in sympathy.

Mario drove up next to us and looked behind him, then looked at us. "Eh. He had it coming to him." He stated, before being smashed into by an invincible Dry Bones. We entered into the homestretch as Piper pushed a button and the cart transformed into a bullet bill, hurling us past Koopa Troopa and across the line. The racing world dissolved, all except for the vehicle we were riding in. W barreled straight for Annabeth and Clytius, who both seemed stunned, before recovering their senses and trying to get out of the way. The doors chimed and the big button lit up Neon green. Piper pressed her lever, and the final mystery box, a red tracer shell, shot forward, smashing straight into the button and allowing the doors to spill open. She swerved, smacking the side of the cart into Clytius, who flew backward towards the doors, smashing the chains and collapsing in a heap. He started to get up and then froze, the point of a bronze sword sticking out of his chest. The sword caught on fire, and the giant slowly dissolved into dust. Percy stood on the other side, looking at his sword, just as confused as we were. Since when did he have fire powers? He shrugged and filed the thought away for another time. He looked up and smirked at Annabeth.

"Miss me?" He asked.

She stumbled back in disbelief. "No. It can't be. You're dead. I know what I told Zoe but I didn't honestly think that-"

"Think what? That you would actually win? That evil would defeat the light? That has never happened in the history of the world, at least not for long, _daughter of_ Athena, and I believe someone would like a word with you for lying to her." He pointed over Annabeth's shoulder and she turned. Only to have her head fall off her shoulders as she dissolved into dust as Zoe raced past, her eyes fixed on Percy. He paled slightly and backed away, raising his hands in front of him. "Now, now Zoe, let's not get has-" He was cut off as she slammed into him, sending them both sprawling, as he looked up, slightly groggy, to see a teary-eyed Zoe on top of him, hugging him like she was afraid he would disappear if she let go.

"You came back!" She squealed as she kept hold of him. Then she realized what she was doing and she flushed a bright red. She pulled back a little and looked down at him. "Perseus Theseus Jackson!" She thundered. "Don't you ever do that again!" She shouted, punctuating each word with a slap. He looked up, his face red from the beating as he focused on her.

"Ow. I guess I deserved that."

She slapped him one more time and smiled. "Yes. You did." She then surged forward and kissed him. "And that was for saving me." She sat back and looked at him anxiously.

Percy's head was exploding right now. The girl he had dreamed about, who had kept him going in Tartarus, who he had thought was out of his league, had kissed him. He leaned forward and folded her into his arms. "You were safe. That was all that mattered. That was all that ever mattered." He said with a smile.


	16. Chapter 16 Epilogue

**A/N Thought i should write an epilogue, not only would it give a peak into the future, but would also push me over 20k words. That is an important milestone for me. Also, we hit 50 reviews! You guys are so awesome.**

 **Thank you to those that reviewed. Here we go, in no particular order...**

 **Crom **itez,** Shigure Toshiro, Omega Alpha Hydra, Mavis Chase, Darksenses, yomomadale, Cassy daughter of the moon, Jetnoia, OverlordRevan, TheMasterTrident13, lastkingslall, Nebular Reaper, lionheat09, Chaos Risen, Sithdoom, of chaos and discord, Blue Dam cookies, jIMMY, GoldenRabbit, , Raxacoricofallapatoreou** s, **and assorted guests.**

 **I would list all those that Favorited or followed this story, yet i don't think i could, there were so many of you guys. Please tell me which story you want updated the most and why. Anyway, on with the epilogue, This is Zero, signing off for the last time for this story.**

10 years later...

Life was good. Gaea had at long last been defeated, so thoroughly that she would not be able to rise for a few thousand years, if ever. Leo had come back with Calypso, but not before touring the world and seeing significant landmarks. Well, and also giving his friends a heart attack when he returned. A few highlights of his trip included, The pyramids in Egypt, St. Basil's cathedral in Russia, the great wall of China, leaning tower of Pisa, Notre Dame, the Taj Mahal, and the Eiffel tower in France. They didn't go to with the coliseum or the empire state building, claiming they had already been there and did not need to repeat the experience. Together, they had accomplished his dream. Leo & Calypso Garage was now fully operational, and was based around Bunker 9, but inside the borders of camp. Piper and Jason were constantly going between the camps, fulfilling Jason's new job description. Frank was the new Praetor of New Rome beside Reyna, and Hazel was a centurion of the fifth cohort, which was once again the most respected. The heroes, which consisted of Frank, Hazel, Piper, Jason, Leo, Zoe, Percy, Reyna, and Nico had all been given the same kind of partial immortality as the Hunters had. Artemis had, grudgingly, allowed Zoe to leave the hunters to be with a lowly man. She had threatened however, to chase him down if he ever hurt Zoe, who was still a close friend of hers even though she was no longer in the hunters. Chiron had entered pseudo retirement, allowing the immortal campers to run the day to day business, while he went to multiple Italian opera exhibitions. Lupa continued her tests for new recruits, although she now allowed her pack to intervene occasionally in a life threatening situation. Seven years ago, Percy and Zoe had triplets, who had been named after old friends. The names were Selena, Charles, and Lee. Selena and Lee looked exactly like their namesakes, which was funny as neither Percy nor Zoe had the same hair color to pass onto Lee. Charles was different, however. He was pale skinned with dark brown hair and looked a lot like Uncle Nico. Speaking of which, he walked in, followed by the triplets, who had gone for a shopping trip with Granddad Hades. He was actually very fond of the little ones, they brought a much need infusion of youth and fun into the underworld. The three made a beeline for Zoe, sitting on the couch. "Mommy, Mommy!Tell us a story!" They pleaded, much to the amusement of Percy. She sighed and allowed them to clamber onto her, so she was surrounded by her kids.

"Which story do you want to hear?" This sparked quite the debate. Charles wanted to hear about the classic myths, Lee wanted to hear about the second Titan war, while Selena wanted to listen to the story about the Giant war with mom and Dad in it. The argument got louder and louder, until Selena slapped the other two and turned to her parents. "we want to hear about how you and daddy met." she turned threateningly to the other two, her hand raised. "Don't we?" The other two squeaked and cowered, and finally agreed with her. Percy smiled at her.

"It seems she inherited your violent tendencies Zoe." He chuckled.

She smirked back at him. "No. Its not that. She just knows that the others need a strong, self-reliant woman around."

He nodded gravely. "That is correct."

She turned her attention onto the children and sighed. "Okay, so this is how it all began. One day, about ten years ago..."


End file.
